Initiation
by TheLostMaximoff
Summary: Sequel to 'The Children's Crusade'. The New X-Men have been fighting the law. Now it's time for the law to fight back.
1. Homeland Security

Initiation

By TheLostMaximoff

Disclaimer: I don't own these characters. Thanks to everyone who reviewed "The Children's Crusade". Hopefully you'll follow the trend with the sequel.

(Author's Note): This story is a sequel to my fic, "The Children's Crusade. It's probably better if you read that one first so you can find out what exactly is going on.

X

He couldn't hear the sirens or the voices of the men standing over him. William Trent Kline couldn't even see them. He was lost in his own world. At first, the world was nice and bright. It was full of light and warmth. Trent believed he was in Heaven but then the warmth turned to scorching heat and the light became eternal darkness. That was when Trent began to scream.

"You thinkin' PCP or acid?" asked one of the detectives. The question could barely be heard over the howls of terror and incoherent ramblings coming from the only person the paramedics hadn't taken to the hospital yet.

"Won't know till we get a tox screen," replied the other detective, "Whatever was in that Kool-Aid must've been damn tasty because he definitely wasn't the only one guzzling it down." The detective looked over to the makeshift podium and the banner that hung behind it.

"What're you thinkin', Manheim?" asked his partner.

"Door's busted open," replied Manheim, "Either these kids did it through the power o' Christ or somebody busted in. Considering these people were part of the Stryker Crusade, I can give you some guesses on who would've busted in."

Trent didn't hear any of this. The voice that Trent heard in his head was much louder and more authoritative, more demanding.

_"You have let them defeat you, Trent!"_ bellowed the voice, _"You have let them corrupt your holy mission."_

"Father?" asked Trent in a bewildered voice, "Is that you, Holy Father?"

_"Do not let them win, __Trent__,"_ ordered the voice, _"I gave you the power to fight them."_

"How?" asked Trent, "What power?"

"Kid's losin' it over here, Manny," stated Manheim's partner, "Better hope the EMTs get back with another gurney for this loon. Maybe a straightjacket too while they're at it."

_"You know what you must do with the power,"_ assured the voice. Trent could feel something inside him suddenly bubble up and radiate out from his body.

"I understand, Father," assured Trent.

"Call SHIELD!" ordered Manheim as he felt everything around him suddenly begin to change, "Call them now!" Trent knew what he had to do. He would find the mutants who did this to him and he would use the power God had given him to slay them.

_One Month Later_

Megan Gwynn looked out on the city of Seattle from her vantage point atop the roof of a warehouse. She flexed her wings, delighting in the freedom to do so. While she was at work, Pixie had to wear a jacket and keep her wings down. She didn't mind that but she really enjoyed it when she could stretch them out.

"You look nervous," stated Mercury as she looked at her teammate.

"I'm always nervous when we do this," replied Pixie. It wasn't exactly true. She did get nervous when she had to put her life on the line with the rest of her friends. However, that wasn't what she was currently nervous about.

"Understandable," agreed Dust. The three girls were waiting for a shipment to come in. Someone was moving illegal arms into Seattle. The New X-Men's standard procedure was to break up into two or three groups and comb the city. Hellion, Surge, and Pixie had cell phones and while they weren't the com-links like the X-Men had they were better than nothing. Mercury watched as Pixie's wings unconsciously twitched again and wondered whether it was just tense nerves or if the younger girl had a problem she was unwilling to reveal.

"You can tell us if something's bothering you," reminded Mercury. Cessily was an only child but she had quickly learned how to deal with siblings upon arriving at Xavier's. When things turned bad in a fight, the team looked to Hellion or Surge but when someone had a personal problem Mercury was always the one to handle it.

"I think I might've done something bad," explained Pixie. All three girls diverted their attention to the fact that a truck had just pulled up to the warehouse they were watching.

"Now would not be the best time to discuss this," advised Dust.

"We'll talk later, Meg," assured Mercury, "Right now, we have to do our thing."

XXXXX

_XgirlAlani: hey, Meg, haven't seen you in awhile_

_FairyQueenMeg: hey, Lani, sorry I haven't been online much lately_

_FairyQueenMeg: you know, work and stuff keeps me busy_

_XgirlAlani: how's the radio thing going these days?_

_FairyQueenMeg: same old same old. How are things going over at __Camp__Hammond__?_

_XgirlAlani: lol, same old same old_

_XgirlAlani: I'm sure Josh would say hi if he was here right now_

_FairyQueenMeg: what's he been up to lately?_

_XgirlAlani: I dunno, they put him on the fast track ever since we signed up. I heard that Mr. Gyrich said he had a lot of potential_

_FairyQueenMeg: you don't worry about what they might make him do?_

_XgirlAlani: this isn't like it was at Xavier's, Meg. We get all the training we need but we don't have to deal with people kicking in our doors and trying to shoot us. Trust me, __Camp__Hammond__ is probably the safest place in the country right now._

XXXXX

Danielle Moonstar remembered her brief career at Camp Hammond with mixed emotions. Teaching some of the Initiative's new recruits was the good part. Dealing with Gyrich and the politics of the place was the bad part.

"Last time I checked," said Dani as she leaned back in her chair and crossed her legs while giving Henry Peter Gyrich an icy stare, "I was fired by you for . . . 'spreading liberal propaganda' was the phrase I believe you used."

"Considering that your former star pupil is dead," reminded Gyrich, "I don't feel we need to discuss our difference of opinion on his handling. I'm not offering you a steady job, Miss Moonstar. We here at Camp Hammond simply need you for a . . . 'consultation' of sorts."

"You have another child you want me to help turn into a weapon?" asked Dani skeptically.

"He's into his twenties and even if he was still a teenager I wouldn't call him a child," replied Gyrich, "We found him a month ago when some cops in Seattle called us. He developed a rather interesting reaction to an unidentified hallucinogenic substance found in his bloodstream."

"Mutant?" asked Dani with a slight amount of hope in her voice.

"He's X-factor positive," assured Gyrich, "Whatever that stuff was, it kick-started his powers. He's an illusion-caster."

"I'm not going to train him to be a soldier," stated Dani.

"You're not going to train him at all," assured Gyrich, "I just need your 'expert' opinion on his mental stability."

"I'm not a therapist," reminded Dani.

"I know," replied Gyrich, "You should see the poor saps the federal government sends in though. They're woefully unqualified to deal with super-powered types and they're prone to misdiagnose them. It would be a shame if something horrible happened all because I took their assessment when I could've had one from someone like you who has special qualifications and will probably give me a much more accurate diagnosis."

"Is that a threat?" asked Dani as the ice in her stare reached new levels of sub-zero.

"I'm merely asking you to think of the children," said Gyrich with a smirk, "Did I mention this young man's first manifestation of his abilities resulted in the death of one of those police officers who called us about him?"

"If I say he isn't ready for the field?" asked Dani.

"He'll stay right here and continue with his training and you can re-evaluate him a few months from now," assured Gyrich as he extended his hand, "Deal?"

"We have a deal," stated Dani as she got up from her chair and headed for the door, "I trust someone can show me where he is."

XXXXX

_XgirlAlani: you live in __Seattle__ right?_

_FairyQueenMeg: yeah_

_XgirlAlani: have you heard the stuff that's been going on there lately?_

_FairyQueenMeg: what stuff?_

_XgirlAlani: something about some group of x-men or something_

_FairyQueenMeg: oh that. That's probably just a bunch of kids being stupid_

XXXXX

"Do you think we're going about this the right way?" Hellion looked at where Anole's voice came from. It always unnerved him when Victor turned on his cloaking power.

"What other way is there to do this?" asked Hellion.

"We could get registered," reminded Anole, "I mean would it really be that bad?"

"I don't trust Stark or his people," stated Hellion, "Maybe they had a good idea at first but now it's become a big mess. These days it's like we spend more time fighting each other than we spend fighting the real bad guys."

"Point," admitted Anole. Hellion turned his attention to what was happening across the street. He knew what was going on in that building. The place was a haven for drug dealers but the police, for one reason or another, refused to do anything to shut it down.

"I've seen him on the streets," said Hellion as he gestured to a man going into the building, "He's definitely a dealer. Do you need any more proof?"

"I'm not a cop," reminded Anole, "I think that's part of the problem that registration is trying to solve."

"The cops haven't done jack to shut that place down," reminded Hellion as he motioned for Anole to take point, "That's what makes us different from them, Vic. Instead of getting in slap-fights with each other, we actually stop what needs to be stopped."

"The classic argument," replied Anole with a sigh as he vaulted from his perch on the side of the building and landed on the other side of the street in front of the drug house. He quickly jumped and clung to the wall of the building, turning his cloak back on before crawling through a broken window. Hellion calmly crossed the street and walked up to the doorstep of the house. The door glowed green before an unseen force kicked it in. This was Julian's way. He didn't need warrants, he didn't need probable causes, and he didn't need the system. It wasn't as if that system had been kind to him and his friends in the past.

XXXXX

_XgirlAlani: have you thought about registering?_

_FairyQueenMeg: Lani you know that I don't wanna do that_

_XgirlAlani: it's not bad at all Meg I promise_

_XgirlAlani: I mean __Camp__Hammond__ is just like Xavier's except it's so much safer_

_FairyQueenMeg: if registering doesn't change the way things work then why do it in the first place?_

_XgirlAlani: it's the law_

_FairyQueenMeg: it's a sucky law and I don't trust the people behind it_

XXXXX

Danielle Moonstar could think of at least a hundred different things she could be doing at this moment. Meeting potential students was always tricky, especially when they were "disturbed".

"Do you prefer to be called 'William'?" asked Dani.

"Trent," corrected Trent, "I haven't thought of a codename yet." Dani nodded and took a seat, her eyes scanning the cell that passed as Trent's room. The boy had a bed, a desk, and another room that looked like a bathroom.

"Have you had a chance to run drills with the other kids?" asked Dani.

"Not yet," replied Trent, "Mr. Gyrich and the doctors say I'm a special case so they let me train alone mostly. I guess that's why they brought you here."

"I was a mutant too," admitted Dani, "I was an illusion-caster like you, Trent. I heard you had a rather violent 'first time'."

"Yeah," agreed Trent as he gave Dani a sad nod, "They told me I killed someone. Honestly, I can't remember it. The medication they give me here helps me keep reality and fantasy separated but it leaves my memory a little fuzzy. The whole night is a blur."

"I read your history," said Dani, "You were a member of the Stryker Crusade?"

"I no longer acknowledge myself as part of that group," assured Trent, "I have . . . different beliefs now." Had she been the one running the session, Dani would have pressed that issue slightly further. Unfortunately, Gyrich was running the show and he would consider Dani's exploration of those "different beliefs" a waste of time.

"You have a bit of latent telepathy?" asked Dani.

"So I've been told," replied Trent, "It gives my illusions a more personal touch."

"What would you like to do with your powers?" asked Dani.

"Help people," answered Trent, "I believe God is calling me to do that."

"I'd like to see what medication they're giving you," explained Dani. Trent nodded and grabbed the bottles from the desk. He stared at them for a moment before handing them to her.

"I believe I may have found a name," said Trent, "Serotonin."

"Not exactly accurate," admitted Dani, "Serotonin controls moods and emotions. Still, it has a nice ring to it."

"Our perceptions are controlled by our emotions," countered Trent, "What we view around us and how we perceive it is colored by our mood isn't it?"

"How do you perceive yourself?" asked Dani, deliberately not answering Trent's question.

"Average I suppose," admitted Trent, "I did something terrible and I'm taking steps to make sure it never happens again."

"I'd say that's healthy," agreed Dani as she handed the bottles back to their owner, "Do you mind if I ask for a demonstration of your powers?"

"I'll try my best," assured Trent. Dani watched his eyes begin to cloud over in a strange, otherworldly way. She felt the world around her suddenly ripple. Dani saw posters appear on the wall. The desk in the room became nicer and suddenly sported a computer. A bookshelf sprouted from nothingness as well as a stereo system. The entire room changed into the bedroom of a twenty-something-year-old instead of the jail cell of a twenty-something-year-old.

"Very impressive," admitted Dani as she touched a piece of furniture that wasn't real yet it certainly felt real, "You've got visual and tactile perception down."

"I can do auditory too," assured Trent without moving his mouth. Dani nodded in approval of the boy's skills.

"How long can you hold them?" asked Dani.

"Working on that," admitted Trent as the image suddenly flickered and began to fade back to reality, "I'll get that figured out eventually."

"I'm sure you will," agreed Dani, "You seem to already have a very high level of skill. I should go talk to Gyrich."

"I hope you give him a good evaluation," said Trent, "If you'll excuse me, I need to take my pills."

"I wouldn't worry about Gyrich," assured Dani as she moved to the door, "Goodbye, Trent. I hope we see each other again."

"I'd like that," said Trent as he watched Dani leave. He took the pill bottles with him into the bathroom. Trent wasn't stupid. He knew there was a camera in the top corner of the main room that was constantly monitoring his actions. He could fool the human eye with his illusions but he couldn't fool a machine.

"Maybe when I'm free I'll drop by," muttered Trent as he took out the amount of pills he was supposed to take and dropped them into the toilet. He flushed the toilet and then turned on the sink to get a drink of water. He only took the pills every so often. They helped his control but he didn't need them influencing his perceptions. Trent knew he had to get out of this compound so he could get revenge on the mutants responsible for his predicament and make them suffer.

XXXXX

_XgirlAlani: it's you isn't it Meg?_

_FairyQueenMeg: huh?_

_XgirlAlani: you and some of the others are the ones people are talking about in __Seattle_

_FairyQueenMeg: Lani you know I wouldn't do something like that_

_FairyQueenMeg: I mean with all the stuff we went through do you really think I'd do this again?_

_XgirlAlani: Meg you'd tell me if you were doing it right?_

_FairyQueenMeg: sure I would_

_XgirlAlani: I really don't believe you_

_FairyQueenMeg: Lani I'm one of your best friends_

_XgirlAlani: yeah and I'd expect you to tell me the truth_

_FairyQueenMeg: I can't trust you_

_XgirlAlani: omg you are doing it_

_XgirlAlani: you totally wouldn't have said that if you weren't doing it_

_FairyQueenMeg: fine Lani we're doing it okay?_

_FairyQueenMeg: we're the ones who are running around __Seattle__ tagging bad guys with X's every night_

_XgirlAlani: you're going to get in trouble_

_XgirlAlani: you're breaking the law Meg_

_FairyQueenMeg: nobody knows it_

_XgirlAlani: how are you getting away with it?_

_FairyQueenMeg: we've got it covered_

_FairyQueenMeg: you can't tell anyone Lani. I'm really serious about this_

_XgirlAlani: . . . I can't make that promise_

_FairyQueenMeg: then we'll go to jail and it'll be your fault_

_XgirlAlani: I need to go_

_FairyQueenMeg: Lani wait_

_XgirlAlani: I need to go_

_FairyQueenMeg: you can't tell anyone Lani. Please promise me you won't tell anyone_

XXXXX

Dust, Mercury and Pixie looked around the warehouse at the unconscious bodies of the smugglers who were dealing in illegal arms. Those that were still awake were lost in a daze created by Pixie's hallucinogenic dust.

"You wanted to talk about something?" asked Mercury as she looked at Pixie.

"Now's not really the place," reminded Pixie nervously.

"We got a few minutes before we call the police," assured Mercury. Pixie's wings unconsciously twitched as she looked at the ground.

"I think I did something really bad," admitted Pixie as she looked at the two older girls.

"How bad?" asked Dust.

"I think I got us thrown in jail," explained Pixie quietly.

XXXXX

"Your assessment?" asked Gyrich as Dani stood in front of his desk.

"The medication seems to be working for him," admitted Dani, "I would consent to letting him train with the other recruits."

"Field missions?" asked Gyrich.

"I have my reservations," stated Dani, "I think he still needs more time."

"You're being too cautious with him," said Gyrich, "Stark promised a fully operational superhero team in every state, Miss Moonstar. We can't deliver that without new recruits."

"What Stark promised the American people is none of my concern," retorted Dani, "I suppose he could handle street-level crime but I wouldn't put him into combat with another super-powered individual. I think the stress of that situation might cause him to snap."

"Your opinion has been noted," said Gyrich as he slid a piece of paper across his desk, "There's your compensation. Talk to my secretary about what forms you need to sign." Dani took the check and walked to the door.

"Alani," greeted Dani as she looked at the former student of Xavier standing outside in the waiting area, "You look nervous about something." Alani looked up from where she was sitting with her drill instructor, Gauntlet.

"Hey, Miss Moonstar," replied Alani, "Sorry . . . I have this personal thing going on." Gauntlet gave Dani a look that said she shouldn't press the matter further.

"I'd like to talk to Josh Foley if he's available," said Dani as she looked at Gauntlet, "I have some paperwork to fill out first."

"I'll see if someone can find him," replied Gauntlet as he stood and ushered Alani into Gyrich's office.

"Miss Ryan," said Gyrich as Gauntlet motioned for the girl to take a seat, "Is there something I can help you with?"

"Tell him what you told me," urged Gauntlet.

"Well," began Alani hesitantly, "Have you heard the news about a group of X-Men or something in Seattle?"

"Yes," replied Gyrich, "Do you know them?"

"I know one of them," explained Alani, "They're unregistered, Mr. Gyrich and . . ."

"Say no more," assured Gyrich, "You did the right thing for your country, Miss Ryan. You should be proud of yourself."


	2. American Nightmare

Initiation (Part Two)

By TheLostMaximoff

Disclaimer: I don't own these characters. I don't actually read Avengers: Initiative but I've read summaries, bios, and I scanned through the latest issue at the shop. Therefore, if I characterize these kids poorly let me know when you review.

Mercury could feel the eyes on her again. Pixie was giving her that look, the look that said she was about two seconds away from crying. Cessily couldn't blame her. Pixie had screwed up, plain and simple. The whole team was at risk now because if they couldn't fool the authorities with their fake SHRA cards then they couldn't continue to be superheroes.

"I didn't mean to," explained Pixie, "It just . . . it came out." Pixie had explained her talk with Alani while she, Mercury, and Dust had made the trek back to their apartment.

"It's okay," assured Mercury as the three girls sat on their couch, "It's gonna be okay, Meg." Pixie started to sniffle and suddenly buried her face into Mercury's shoulder, sobbing over what she had done. Mercury just let the younger girl cry on her shoulder, her fingers lightly brushing through Pixie's hair to try and calm her down.

"What're we gonna do?" wailed Pixie.

"Keep your voice down so Nori can sleep," advised Mercury, "You need your sleep too, Meg. Both of you have to go to work in the morning."

"What about . . .?" began Pixie

"We'll take care of it," assured Mercury as she looked to Dust, "Sooraya and I will figure out what to do in the morning and then we'll talk to Julian. Everything is going to be fine, Megan. I promise."

"I really screwed up this time," said Pixie.

"Cessily and I will fix this," assured Dust as she put her hand on Pixie's shoulder, "Go get your rest, Megan."

"I'll be back there in a minute," said Mercury, referring to the fact that she and Pixie shared a bedroom. While four girls lived in the apartment, the place only had two bedrooms so they had to share with one another.

"Okay," sniffled Pixie as she rubbed her eyes and went into her bedroom.

"What should we do?" asked Mercury as she looked at Dust as soon as Pixie was out of the room.

"Take your advice and get sleep," advised Dust, "We will deal with this in the morning, Cessily."

XXXXX

"We're going to have to mobilize some of the recruits," stated Gyrich, "We had to pull Washington's Initiative team into the fight against the Hulk and they're still recovering from that fiasco."

"Shouldn't we let the Thunderbolts handle this?" asked Gauntlet, "That's supposed to be their job, isn't it?"

"I'm not letting Osborn turn those psychotics loose again," assured Gyrich, "That team is a PR nightmare that we don't need at this point. Who have we got here?"

"Hardball, Komodo, MVP," rattled off Gauntlet, "Prodigy seems ready to go and I suppose we could get Armory out of therapy and give her the Tactigon back."

"Cloud 9?" asked Gyrich hopefully.

"Maybe," admitted Gauntlet, "She has the combat skills but I'm still not sure about her."

"We may have to bring some of the newer ones up," admitted Gyrich, "Give me a list of the recruits you think are ready for that."

"It'll be a short one," assured Gauntlet, "The X-Men train their kids pretty well. This isn't going to be an easy win."

"I think I have the weapon that will turn the tide," said Gyrich as he looked at the report from Danielle Moonstar that was on his desk, "Tell your recruits they're getting a special addition to their team."

XXXXX

"Go over it again," ordered Surge as she looked at Pixie, "One more time just so I can be sure."

"You could be a little more sympathetic," reminded Mercury.

"I gotta say it's not a good time for sympathy," admitted Rockslide, "Hey guys, if you need me I'll be packing up my stuff. I mean I'm definitely not gonna hang around here when we're about to go to jail."

"Typical," said Anole with a roll of his eyes, "Shouldn't have really expected much."

"I didn't think it was going to turn into a big deal," stammered Pixie.

"Not a big deal?" asked Surge sarcastically.

"Everyone shut it!" ordered Hellion as he rubbed his forehead, "Everybody just shut up for two seconds so I can think." The mutant teenagers did as they were told and Julian was thankful for the silence.

"Exactly how much detail did you give her?" asked Hellion in a calm, measured tone.

"I told her we're the X-Men," explained Pixie, "She just kinda assumed that we were unregistered, which we are technically. I didn't say anybody's name except for mine."

"She can start guessing," reminded Surge, "I'd say they have enough probable cause to come after us."

"You guys are assuming she rats us out," reminded Mercury, "Alani's pretty cool if I remember correctly."

"I do not believe she would betray us," agreed Dust.

"We trusted the adults," reminded Surge.

"This is different!" snapped Pixie, "Alani's one of my best friends. Besides, what's so wrong with getting registered?"

"They're gonna throw us in jail," reminded Rockslide.

"I thought you were leaving," countered Anole

"Oh trust me, I am," assured Rockslide.

"None of this," interrupted Mercury, "is helping. Meg, it's a really simple thing. The Registration Act didn't make anyone safer. Look at that crap with the Hulk that happened where he tore up New York City. The crime rate in this country hasn't gone down at all. If anything it's worse now because the heroes spend too much time beating up on each other."

"I know," assured Pixie, "I work at a radio station, Cess, and this debate comes up every five minutes on the talk-radio shows. I just . . . shouldn't we be held accountable if something goes wrong? Isn't responsibility a good thing?"

"You wanna get registered?" asked Anole.

"No," admitted Pixie, "Maybe . . . I dunno. Alani makes Camp Hammond sound like a cool place but sometimes . . . maybe Nori's right and we really can't trust the adults to keep us safe."

"Not like we can't find a list of reasons," said Hellion, "Where was Tony Stark when Stryker blew up our friends? Why haven't those Purifier scumbags been put in jail? How come they get a free pass but we don't?"

"That hot Avenger chick showed up," reminded Rockslide.

"That was because of pity," scoffed Hellion, "She just gave us some lip service and tried to get Cyclops and Miss Frost to get with the program."

"Heh, lip service," snickered Rockslide, "Hey if she wanted to give someone lip service . . ."

"Tasteless," stated Surge with a sigh, "We need a plan in case the Initiative comes after us. How you feel about registration doesn't matter at this point. If they catch us without a license then we're going to jail. That's what we need to worry about."

XXXXX

Pixie yawned as she walked through the hallway of the KISW broadcast studio. The station manager had her covering for the time slot that William Trent Kline usually hosted. Pixie tried not to think about the fact that she hadn't seen Trent in a month. She still had mixed feelings about telling the others that he was a member of the Stryker Crusade. It wasn't as if Trent himself had blown up her friends but he _was_ a member of that organization. A few days after everything had calmed down, Pixie had tried to locate Trent but failed. She never knew what kind of reaction her pixie dust would produce and if Trent somehow became violent enough to hurt someone around him in a fit of hallucinogenic rage then that was on her shoulders. It was another reason Megan was starting to rethink her position on the New X-Men and the team's existence in general.

"I'd love to work in a place like this." Pixie's mind suddenly broke out of her sleep-deprived stupor and her blood turned cold at the sound of the voice. She looked around but didn't see anything aside from an empty hallway.

"I really need to get more sleep," mumbled Pixie as she pressed the button for the elevator and then got in once the doors opened, "Either that or I need to see a therapist."

"That second one isn't a bad idea," admitted the voice again. Pixie turned around and almost screamed. Mark Shepard was standing right in front of her. She remembered DJ. It was hard to forget him or any of her other teammates from the Paragons squad. Unfortunately, DJ was supposed to be dead.

"It can't be you," said Pixie breathlessly, "You're dead." DJ still looked dead. His skin was pale and there was blood all over his shirt. Megan quickly turned and punched the button for the ground floor. The elevator refused to move.

"Whose fault is that?" asked DJ as he shambled towards Pixie like some sort of zombie from a horror movie. Pixie clicked the button to open the elevator doors but again the machine refused to comply. She let out a frightened yelp as DJ slammed his hand up against the door, effectively trapping her.

"Please," whimpered Pixie as she pressed herself against the doors, "I don't know what's going on but please go away."

"Why haven't you done anything about it!" snapped DJ as he moved closer and closer to her, "Why haven't you made them pay!" Pixie began to whimper as she sank to her knees and curled up into a ball.

"I can't," whimpered Pixie pitifully, "I can't be like them. I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" She could smell the stench of death on his clothes and it made her want to vomit. Megan could feel the tears running down her cheeks as she continued to try and get away from the nightmare in front of her.

"You were always such a little girl," said DJ viciously. Pixie suddenly felt the doors behind her open. She stumbled into the lobby and began gasping for breath. Megan caught a quick glance at the inside of the elevator before the doors closed. It was completely empty.

"Megan?" asked Hellion as she looked up and saw him standing over her, "What's wrong?"

"I saw . . . a ghost," gasped Pixie as she slowly got to her feet and then wrapped her arms around Julian, "Oh God, Julian, it was so bad."

"C'mon," said Hellion as he put his arm around her shoulder and led her out of the building, "I got off work early. I wanted to check up on you and see how you were doing after what happened today."

"I could be better," admitted Pixie as she tried to get her breathing back under control. She almost jumped out of her skin as her cell phone suddenly rang. Megan pulled the device out of her pocket and answered it.

"Meg, I just got off work and I want to swing by and see how you're doing," said Julian's voice over the phone.

"You're already here," said Pixie in a perplexed tone.

"Megan, I'm still at the office," replied Hellion. Pixie looked at the person standing next to her and slowly started to back away.

"Well," said Serotonin as he dropped his illusion, "I guess I can't plan for everything."

"Julian, someone's after us," said Pixie into the phone. Something suddenly hit her in the side of the neck. The tranquilizer took effect almost immediately and Megan found herself fighting to keep her eyes open.

"Don't worry," assured Serotonin as Pixie fell into his arms, her body going limp like a rag doll as she slipped into unconsciousness, "I won't let my new friends hurt you or the others. I still want to play with you."

XXXXX

Hellion quickly ended the call to Pixie and then dialed Surge's number. He had used his parents' connections to score an entry-level job at a prominent law firm. It was mostly filing and other menial tasks but it was enough to help pay his rent.

"Nori, did Megan call you?" asked Hellion as Surge answered the phone.

"No," replied Surge, "What's going on?"

"She thinks someone's after us," replied Hellion as he stepped out onto the streets of Seattle, "I'm thinking Alani sold us out to those tools at the Initiative. Call the apartments and see who's around. I'm going to the radio station and see if I can find out what's going on."

"I wouldn't bet on that too much," said a voice. Hellion looked to see a kid who couldn't be any older than him standing in his way, "Julian Keller, you're under arrest for violation of the Superhuman Registration Act."

"Julian?" asked Surge over the phone, "Is there something wrong?"

"I think I'm going to have to take out some garbage," said Hellion as he clicked his phone off, "You've got the wrong guy, pal. You see, I've got my registration card in my wallet."

"It's not going to work, Keller," assured the boy, "My name is Michael Van Patrick and, as a deputized agent of SHIELD, I'm taking you into custody."

"I wouldn't bet on that too much," retorted Hellion as his eyes suddenly took on a greenish glow.

XXXXX

"Dude, it's the easiest thing in the world," said Anole.

"Easy for you to say," countered Rockslide as he stared at the keyboard and then his stony hands, "Your fingers are still normal size. I'm gonna break this thing if I touch it and then Julian's gonna be pissed."

"You're hopeless," stated Anole as he rolled his eyes, "You need to get some sort of job. This thing with Google is the best thing for someone with mutations like ours. You mostly make your own hours, you get good pay, and you can do it from your home."

"I already told you I can't use computers," explained Rockslide as he waved one of his massive hands in front of Anole's face, "Does this look like a hand that can type?"

"You're missing out," assured Anole with a shake of his head, "Seriously, easiest job I ever had." The phone suddenly rang. Anole grabbed it with his tongue and flicked it into his hand without having to move his legs.

"There's something going on," said Surge, "I can't get in touch with Megan and I think Julian's in trouble."

"Hey, Vic," said Rockslide as he tugged on Anole's arm.

"In a sec," assured Anole as he swatted Rockslide's hand away, "I'll go across the hall and check on the girls, Nori. See if you can find Julian or Megan and call us when you do."

"Dude, we got company," explained Rockslide.

"I didn't hear the door," replied Anole as he hung up the phone before turning and seeing his old teammate from Alpha Squadron, Alani Ryan, standing in the room.

"Guys, we need to have a talk," said Loa.

"How did you get in here without tearing the place up?" asked Anole skeptically, "You can't swim through something without crumbling it."

"I worked on it," explained Loa, "Look, you guys need to turn yourselves in."

"Ain't gonna happen, secret agent girl," assured Rockslide, "You know, I used ta think you were pretty cool. Hard ta believe you'd turn out to be a nark." A hand suddenly punched through the glass of the window next to the computer desk, grabbing Rockslide and pulling him out of the window.

"I'm Ritchie Gilmore," said Prodigy as he held Rockslide up by only his hand, "They call me Prodigy. I can guarantee you I won't be as nice as her."

"I didn't think anyone with the name 'Prodigy' could be a bigger tool than Alleyne was," admitted Rockslide as he suddenly grabbed the golden-armored Initiative agent and pulled him downwards, "Congrats on that." The noise of them landing on top of a parked car could be heard for miles. Neither of them felt anything.

"Lani," said Anole as he looked at his former friend, "We don't have to do things this way. I'm sure we can sit down and figure out a reasonable solution to . . ." Anole never finished his sentence. A scaly pair of arms suddenly wrapped around him and locked him in a chokehold.

"A pity to do this to a member of the same species," admitted Komodo, "It's too bad you're unwilling to register. Having you around could be . . . interesting."

"I doubt I'm your type," retorted Anole as he kicked himself backwards through the window. He elbowed Komodo in the stomach repeatedly in an attempt to loosen her grip. The reptilian girl grudgingly complied enough that Victor could reach out and press his hand against the side of the building. There was a hideous squeaking noise as Anole's clinging ability kicked in and he began to stick to the building, slowing his fall. He continued struggling against his attacker and finally succeeded in breaking away from her.

"Figures," muttered Anole as he saw Komodo do the same thing he did in order to break his fall. However, instead of simply hanging there like Victor, Komodo was climbing up the side of the building in order to get to him again. Anole stood on the side of the building and leapt backwards, effectively repelling down the side of the building without the need for a rope. Komodo lunged to grab him but missed. She quickly stood up on the side of the building and began running down it to catch up with him.

"We need to change up!" shouted Anole as he jumped off the building and swung around a lamp pole before finally landing on the street. He saw that Rockslide was busy pounding the snot out of their other attacker in the golden armor.

"What and spoil my fun?" asked Rockslide as he gave Prodigy an uppercut, "You keep the alligator chick busy. Gray Hulk has got some smashin' to do." Anole wished he had easy access to a phone so he could find out how the rest of his teammates were. Unfortunately, he didn't have time to worry about that as Komodo came after him again.


	3. First Strike

Initiation (Part Three)

By TheLostMaximoff

Disclaimer: I don't own these characters.

At times, Noriko Ashida wondered just how exactly she could get by without some kind, wise man creating the wonderful liquid known as alcohol. She had previously worked at a bar in Los Angeles and even though she had changed cities she had not changed occupations.

"Hopefully one of them will be home," muttered Surge as she dialed the number for the apartment she shared with the other girls. She was in the middle of getting off her shift when Hellion had called her but she still had a few things to take care of in the back room before she left. At this point, getting in touch with someone was the most important thing. If someone was attempting to attack them then they would go after the ones who were isolated.

"You too busy to talk to me?" Surge gritted her teeth as she looked up from her phone and saw David Alleyne standing in front of her.

"What the hell are you doing here?" asked Surge.

"I came to see you," replied David. Surge eyed her ex-boyfriend with a healthy dose of skepticism. They were possibly under attack and suddenly he decided to walk back into her life? It seemed a little too convenient for her.

"Last time I checked," said Surge, "you dumped me. Yeah, you had a great reason because I was being stupid but still you dumped me."

"Maybe I wanted to try again," suggested David. Lightning suddenly snaked from Surge's fingers, striking him and sending him backwards.

"Or maybe you're not him," said Surge as she quickly exited the back room of the bar and attempted to get away. Someone grabbed her wrist. Surge pulled away and stared at what was, for all intents and purposes, a carbon copy of her.

"You don't like what you see?" asked the fake Surge with a cruel smirk, "It's no wonder why David dumped you. It's no wonder everyone thought you were a joke when Miss Frost put you in charge. You can't handle the pressure, Nori. You always run away when things get tough."

"You obviously want to play games," retorted Surge as she sent another jolt of lightning towards her impersonator, "That's fine with me." As the lightning struck her evil twin, Surge watched the image flicker and fade into nothingness. She felt something suddenly hit her in the back of the neck. Surge threw out sporadic bursts of lightning as the tranquilizer took her under.

"One more down," said Serotonin as he looked up at his teammate, "You're quite the shot with that."

"Don't remind me," replied Cloud 9, still hovering in the air atop the cloud of vapor she commanded. She checked how much ammunition her rifle still had, "Have you heard from the others?"

"They're having some trouble," replied Serotonin, "We need to secure her and then we'll worry about them." He had his own plans for these mutants. He could hear the voice of God telling him what needed to be done. The pills did little to drown out the word of God that Trent was blessed to hear. He would torture them slowly until they either went mad or begged him to put them out of their misery. Yes, Serotonin had his own agenda and he wasn't going to let anyone get in his way.

XXXXX

"So what's your deal?" asked Hellion as MVP's attack ricocheted off of his telekinetic shield, "You don't really seem to have any powers."

"Maybe I'm not so flashy with them," retorted MVP as he landed on his feet, "We could quit doing this right now."

"Doubt it," replied Hellion, "You wanna throw me and my friends in jail. I'm not exactly going to roll over and let you do that." Random, medium-sized objects in the near vicinity suddenly glowed green before rising from their places and surging towards MVP. The Initiative agent flipped over a flying mailbox and ducked under a fire hydrant that hurtled towards him. He grabbed a manhole cover in mid-air and slung it back at Hellion. The whirling metal disc bounced off of Hellion's telekinetic shield but the force of the impact sent the mutant teen to the ground.

"We can talk to the right people," said MVP, "We can help you avoid jail time if you work with us."

"Not interested," assured Hellion as a telekinetic shove threw MVP into the side of a building. MVP's body ricocheted against the concrete and then hit the pavement like a rag doll. Hellion calmly walked over to the unconscious boy and took off MVP's headset. Hellion definitely knew now that this wasn't an isolated incident. He quickly turned on his cell phone and hit the button to dial Surge. The phone rang continuously before the voicemail finally picked it up.

"That's never good," mumbled Hellion as he looked at the headset and heard the chatter going on through the line. He knew he had to get back to their apartment complex. Being out alone in the city was asking for someone to pick him off.

XXXXX

Rockslide was getting tired of playing around with his enemy. The good thing about essentially being a golem was that a chokehold didn't do you any harm. The only thing it really did was annoy the hell out of him.

"If this was your big power move then I gotta say it's pretty weak," said Rockslide as he reached around to grab Prodigy and throw him off, "You might want to try fighting people who can actually breathe next time." He suddenly looked up to see a cloud of dust pour out of a window and descend to separate him from Prodigy. A huge blob of liquid metal splattered on the sidewalk and quickly reformed into a more familiar shape.

"I see you're handling things your usual way," said Mercury.

"These guys started it," reminded Rockslide, "What happened to Alani?"

"I did not see her," replied Dust before turning back into her namesake and surging towards Komodo. Dust slammed into her adversary, knocking her to the concrete.

"Did you see any more of them?" asked Anole as he took the momentary lull in the action to catch his breath.

"Just these two," replied Dust as Komodo lunged for her, "There may be more around." She quickly turned herself into dust and let her attacker pass through her body.

"You can take your turn with him," said Rockslide as Prodigy came at him again, "I'm gettin' bored." Mercury quickly morphed around her opponent until she had him tied up.

"I'd ask you who you work for but it's pretty obvious," said Mercury as Prodigy struggled to get free, "Tell Stark and your bosses that we're not interested in being his soldiers."

"Yet you're so willing to be a soldier for Xavier," retorted Prodigy as he suddenly flexed and ripped Mercury's body into pieces, "Trust me, no matter how noble your intentions are you're always serving someone's cause." Prodigy dodged a clubbing blow from Rockslide and hit him. There was a sickening crunch as Prodigy's blow connected, leaving a huge dent in Santo's face.

"Ow," said Rockslide as he rubbed the spot on his forehead before retaliating with a punch of his own, "You're outnumbered and outclassed. Even I'm not stupid enough to continue with this fight." Something exploded against Rockslide's back. Hardball fired another one of his energy balls at Rockslide, the glowing orb of energy exploding on contact again.

"Where's the rest of our backup?" asked Prodigy as he hit Rockslide with a few quick punches while Hardball continued to distract him.

"I can't get in touch with Mike," replied Hardball, "Abby and the new guy are on the way though." Anole suddenly jumped on Prodigy's back and used his larger arm to pound him in the head. Prodigy suddenly pushed himself backwards, slamming Anole into a parked car in an effort to get the X-Man off of his back.

"Man, there are so many jokes I could make right now about balls," assured Rockslide as he waded through Hardball's assault to try and get to his attacker, "Seriously, you must've been late to the party when God was handing out the superpowers." Rockslide finally managed to get within striking distance and batted Hardball aside.

"Bet I could make a smart comment about stones," retorted Cloud 9 as she pointed her rifle at Rockslide and squeezed the trigger. It wasn't a tranquilizer dart that flew from the barrel of the gun. Instead, it was a drill-tipped projectile that tunneled through Rockslide's stony hide on contact.

"What the hell was that?" asked Rockslide. There was a small beeping sound before Rockslide suddenly exploded into tiny pieces.

"Grab Hardball and whoever else you can," ordered Cloud 9 as she rose into the air, "We're pulling out and we're pulling out now. Serotonin, give us some cover!" The remaining members of the Initiative that were still on their feet began to retreat. Prodigy attempted to retrieve Hardball but a wall of dust quickly sprang up between him and his intended target. Instead, Prodigy picked up Anole's unconscious body and slung it over his shoulder. Dust attempted to retrieve her fallen teammate but the Initiative agents suddenly vanished before her eyes. Sooraya looked around in bewilderment before she saw Hellion descend from the sky.

"What happened?" asked Hellion as soon as he landed. He looked around and saw tiny streams of liquid mercury slowly trickle across the ground to coalesce into a unified whole. Chunks of rock were scattered in all directions and the street was littered with debris from the brawl.

"I believe we have lost," stated Dust as she looked at her team leader.

"I am totally gonna kill that cloud chick," muttered Rockslide as the asphalt of the pavement suddenly rose up and turned into his body, "I don't even think I'm gonna make a joke about it either. She is so not worthy of my A-material."

"I can't get in touch with Nori or Meg," said Hellion, "We have to assume they've been captured."

"They have taken Victor as well," added Dust as the blob of liquid metal slithered its way to the rest of its teammates and slowly reformed into Mercury.

"Alani was with them," said Mercury.

"Yeah, she used to be so cool," reminded Rockslide, "It's like some sort of after-school special. 'Friends don't let friends join the Initiative'." Rockslide looked around at the destruction they had caused while the other members of the New X-Men continued their discussion. Suddenly, Santo spied something that he knew would cheer his teammates up.

"Guys, check it out," said Rockslide as he motioned to Hardball's unconscious body, "Collateral." Hellion looked to where Rockslide pointed and remembered that MVP was still unconscious and lying on the street. He remembered he also had MVP's headset which meant he had a direct line into the Initiative.

"I think I should start putting some of those business skills to good use," said Hellion, "It's time to make a deal."

XXXXX

"You left Hardball behind!" snarled Komodo as she looked at Cloud 9 with a murderous glint in her eyes.

"We were getting destroyed," stated Cloud 9 as she looked at her teammate, "Someone had to give the order to pull out and Michael wasn't around to do it."

"We do have an advantage as far as prisoners go," pointed out Prodigy, "We also have someone with insight into what our opponents will do."

"I don't really think I'm qualified for that," admitted Loa.

"You blew the whistle on them," reminded Cloud 9. The Initiative agents had managed to use Serotonin's illusion abilities to sneak away from the scene of battle. They had reconvened in the jet they had used to travel to Seattle. The jet had restraining equipment in the cargo hold which they had used on Pixie, Surge, and Anole. Unfortunately, their mission wasn't without casualties. All of them had to assume that Hardball and MVP were now prisoners of the enemy camp. That meant that a rescue operation would have to be attempted.

"They're going to set up a trade," stated Prodigy, "It's standard operating procedure."

"Where's the new guy?" asked Loa suddenly as she looked around. The other Initiative agents looked around and began to wonder the same thing.

"Ten to one he's with the prisoners," answered Cloud 9 as she headed toward the cargo hold.

XXXXX

Megan Gwynn stirred as she opened her eyes. It took her a few seconds to remember where she had been and it took her even longer to process where exactly she was now. She was . . . home? Pixie tried to get out of her bed but she felt something hold her in place.

"Home is never exactly as wonderful as you remember it," said Serotonin with a smirk as he leaned against the doorframe and stared at Pixie.

"What the hell is going on?" asked Pixie as she struggled to get up, "Where are the others?"

"I have to say that I'm surprised," admitted Serotonin, completely ignoring Pixie's questions, "You come off as very . . . bubbly. Knowing what's beneath that surface makes you . . . interesting."

"How are you doing this?" asked Pixie as Serotonin approached her.

"The doctors at Camp Hammond told me I'm a mutant," explained Serotonin, "It's quite ironic. Apparently, I have you to thank for this."

"I didn't make you a mutant," retorted Pixie, "God did that."

"Had it not been for you and your 'pixie dust', my x-factor gene wouldn't have been activated," said Serotonin in a low, dangerous voice, "My condition is your fault and any atrocity I commit with it will be as well."

"That's not true," stated Pixie as she struggled against her invisible bonds, "Let me go, Trent. I promise I'll help you deal with being a mutant."

"I take medication for that," assured Serotonin as he leaned in and put his face dangerously close to Pixie's, "I guess it's true what they say. Maybe it really is just a lifestyle choice."

"What're you gonna do?" asked Pixie shakily as she stared into Serotonin's eyes and saw something behind them, a glimpse of some other world that only existed for him.

"I always thought you were kinda cute," admitted Serotonin as he ran his fingers down Pixie's cheek, "A little too young for me I think but still . . ."

"This isn't you," whimpered Pixie.

"It's what you made me," reminded Serotonin as he let his fingers creep down Pixie's helpless body, "You took something from me, Megan. I believe it's only fair that I take something from you." Pixie shuddered at Serotonin's touch and desperately tried to think of a way out of her current situation.

"That's enough," stated a voice as a hand appeared and grabbed Serotonin, jerking him away from Pixie, "We were told to bring them in. They're no good to Gyrich if they're damaged." The scenery around Pixie shimmered and reverted to its true nature. She was clamped to an upright gurney in the cargo hold of the Initiative's jet. She could see Surge across the cargo hold in the same position as her. Megan could only guess as to how many of her friends were with her at this point. She hoped at least some of them were out there so they could rescue her.

"I don't remember Gyrich putting you in charge," retorted Serotonin as he brushed away Cloud 9's hand.

"He didn't give you free reign either," reminded Cloud 9, "If you don't like the way we do business then you can leave."

"Don't threaten me," warned Serotonin, his eyes growing cloudy as he stared at Cloud 9, "There's nothing that prevents me from using my power on you as well."

"You try it and I promise you that you won't continue breathing," assured Cloud 9 as she glared at Serotonin and refused to back down from him. All eyes in the room were locked onto the pair as they stood facing one another.

"Cross me again and I'll make sure you get to live some rather unpleasant nightmares," stated Serotonin as he suddenly pushed past her and moved towards the front of the plane. The rest of the Initiative trailed after him after receiving a nod from Cloud 9.

"Is this what you wanted?" asked Pixie as she saw Loa pass by her, "Is this what you wanted to happen, Alani?"

"No," replied Loa with a sad shake of her head, "You're my best friend, Meg. I'd never want anything bad to happen to you." With that, Loa turned away from her friend and hurried to catch up with the rest of her new team. Pixie felt a few tears roll down her cheeks and she blinked them away. She had to figure out a way to get out of here. She knew that it was only a matter of time until Serotonin went completely crazy and put everyone around him in jeopardy. She was still responsible for him and she was going to make sure he didn't kill anyone even if she had to die trying to save the people who wanted to put her in jail.


	4. God's Country

Initiation (Part Four)

By TheLostMaximoff

Disclaimer: I don't own these characters. Remember to keep the reviews coming.

"What're you gonna do with that thing?" asked Rockslide as he saw Hellion put on the headset he had taken from MVP. The four remaining New X-Men had grabbed their two prisoners and taken them to an abandoned warehouse for the time being. They couldn't go back to the apartment building for fear of being captured by the police or being seen by the swarm of news reporters that had descended on the area the moment they got wind of a superhuman fight.

"Reach out and touch someone," replied Hellion as he adjusted the microphone, "Listen up, kids. Get me in touch with the leader of your outfit or the closest thing you people can come up with. I want to make a deal."

"What do you want?" asked Cloud 9.

"You have three of our friends," reminded Hellion, "We have two of yours. I assume we can work some sort of trade."

"I'll need assurance that they're okay," replied Cloud 9, "Let me talk to one of them." Hellion rolled his eyes and motioned to Rockslide. The golem-like mutant grabbed the nearest prisoner he could find and shook him awake.

"Talk," ordered Hellion as he held the headset's microphone close to MVP's mouth, "I'm only going to give you a couple of minutes."

"Abby?" asked MVP hopefully, "It's MVP."

"Seriously?" asked Rockslide, "MVP? Like the professional wrestler? Man, you got the shaft on the codenames, kid."

"You okay, Michael?" asked Cloud 9.

"Could be better," admitted MVP as he squirmed in Rockslide's grasp to keep the bigger man from crushing him with his grip, "Don't worry about us, Abby. We'll figure a way out of . . ."

"That's all the assurance you get," interrupted Hellion as he put the headset back on, "I assume you have some sort of technology that will let you trace the frequency of these things."

"What's your point?" asked Cloud 9 skeptically.

"It'll help you figure out where the exchange is going to take place," stated Hellion, "You come find us and you bring our friends. _All_ of our friends and they better not be harmed, understand?"

"We'll meet you any place you want," assured Cloud 9, "Just don't hurt our teammates."

"We'll see about it," said Hellion as he turned the headset off and looked to where Rockslide still had MVP in a bear hug, "You the one in charge?"

"Yeah," replied MVP, "You're not going to get anything but name, rank, and serial number."

"I suppose we could always torture you," admitted Hellion, "I hear that's legal in this country these days."

"I'm not a terrorist," reminded MVP.

"I don't recall saying I was one either," retorted Hellion, "We could've avoided all this if you and your bosses just looked the other way."

"That's not our job," said MVP, "You're breaking the law, Keller, and we're here to stop you."

"That is the one advantage you have," admitted Hellion, "You know an awful lot about us. I think we have some time to kill and I'm in the mood to listen. You should tell me about your teammates." MVP felt Rockslide's grip suddenly tighten like a vice.

"You're gonna have to try harder than that," assured MVP as he attempted to break free, "I may not be in your league but that doesn't mean I go down without a fight."

"See if the other one wants to talk to us," ordered Hellion, "Rough 'em up a little if you have to." Rockslide smirked and tossed MVP into Hardball.

"Julian, I don't think this is the best idea," admitted Mercury hesitantly, "These people are just kids like us."

"They're the enemy," reminded Hellion, "Do you honestly think they aren't doing the same thing to Vic or Megan or Nori? This is about survival, Cess. We can't afford to lose this fight."

"If you let stuff like this happen then we already have," stated Mercury as she shoved past Hellion and grabbed Rockslide before he could strike their hostages, "Leave them alone, Santo. You can restrain them but that's it."

"Oh come on," whined Rockslide, "The guy's name is MVP. Do you understand how much of a tool that makes him? I can't get at least one, free smack?"

"If we hurt them then it just gives those Initiative guys more reasons to hurt our friends," said Mercury, "Just because this is a war doesn't mean we have to act like we're not human. Beating up anybody we feel like without consequences is what started this whole registration thing in the first place."

"Grab them and let's move," ordered Hellion, "We need to find a secluded spot to do the switch."

XXXXX

"Have they settled yet?" asked Cloud 9 as her eyes strayed from the cockpit window to the co-pilot's chair occupied by Prodigy. Prodigy checked the radar screen on the console, his eyes resting on the large red blip that indicated the tracking signal emanating from MVP's headset.

"Affirmative," replied Prodigy, "They haven't moved in five minutes." Cloud 9 continued to smoothly pilot the jet towards their destination, making sure that the jet's cloaking device was on as well as the silent running feature.

"Works for me," said Cloud 9 as she checked the radar screen and then slowed the plane to a halt and, using the jet's VTOL system, brought the vehicle in for a landing on a roof close to the Ballard Bridge. Once the jet had settled, Cloud 9 got up from her chair and moved towards the door that would take her to the cargo bay.

"Did you notify the authorities?" asked Prodigy as he noticed that the bridge was almost completely empty.

"I'm not going to risk anyone else getting injured," stated Cloud 9 as she looked back at her teammate, "We were sloppy before when we tried to ambush them at their apartment complex. I don't want to make that mistake again."

"Good call," admitted Prodigy.

"He hasn't done anything yet, has he?" asked Cloud 9 as she entered the cargo hold and looked to Komodo. After the previous incident involving Serotonin and the prisoners, Cloud 9 had ordered one of her teammates to keep an eye on him at all times and to immediately take action should the illusionist try to employ his powers as a means of evading surveillance. If Serotonin was going to confuse anyone with his abilities, Cloud 9 wanted it to be their enemies.

"Not anything yet," replied Komodo as she glared at Serotonin.

"Good," said Cloud 9 as she started walking to the exit hatch, "I need everybody out here. We're only going to get one chance at this so we have to make it count."

"You're not going to let them go?" asked Loa skeptically.

"We have an illusion-caster," reminded Cloud 9 as she pointed to Serotonin, "No point in increasing the chances of something going wrong." The other Initiative agents followed their current leader out of the jet and onto the rooftop. Loa lingered behind and looked at Pixie.

"That's the type of people you're supporting, Lani," said Pixie bitterly, "If you let them have their way then all of us are going to end up like this. They don't care about you, Lani. You're just a soldier to them." Loa shook her head sadly as she turned to follow her teammates. Pixie let out a frustrated sigh and looked across the cargo hold at Surge.

"They did something to her," stated Anole, his voice coming from Pixie's right, "It's those cuffs."

"Nori?" asked Pixie hopefully, "Nori, c'mon and wake up. You're supposed to be the person who tells us what to do when Julian's not around. You gotta get us out of this, Nori." Surge stirred but couldn't form a response. The Initiative had strapped her in with special manacles that sucked the electricity out of her body faster than she could reabsorb it. The result left her weak and helpless to mount any kind of resistance.

"What're we gonna do, Vic?" asked Pixie.

"These clamps are strong," admitted Anole as he flexed against them, "Without Nori to short them out, I'm not sure how we're going to do this."

"He's going to screw them," said Pixie, "Trent. He wants to kill us and he's going to screw them over."

"They wanna put us in jail and he wants us dead," summarized Anole as he struggled against the clamps, "Story of our lives."

XXXXX

"So do you hate your parents for the fact that your initials are MVP?" asked Rockslide as he pushed MVP forward, "I mean c'mon, really?" MVP struggled a little against the metal bar that had been wrapped around his wrists, tying them together to restrain him.

"Does he ever shut up?" asked MVP as he looked at Mercury.

"Almost never," replied Mercury. The New X-Men and the two Initiative agents stood on the Ballard Bridge waiting for the rest of the Initiative to show up so they could do the prisoner exchange.

"Overcompensation," said Hardball, "So sad."

"Hey, I got some more for you, ball boy," assured Rockslide, "You wanna get all Freudian when your superpower revolves around balls?"

"I'm actually surprised you correctly used the word 'Freudian'," admitted Hellion as he finally saw the Initiative arrive on the bridge, "Heads up, kids, things are about to get interesting."

"You really think this thing is going to go smoothly?" asked MVP.

"Nope," assured Hellion as he motioned for Rockslide to push the prisoners forward to meet the Initiative, "I never intended for it to."

"It doesn't look like they've hurt the others," said Mercury, "That's always a good sign." The Initiative stopped their advance and the New X-Men did the same. Cloud 9 motioned for Surge, Anole, and Pixie to continue walking forward.

"You don't even know what you're looking at," retorted Hardball, "Serotonin is an illusion-caster." Even as the words came out of Hardball's mouth, the New X-Men could see the images of their comrades suddenly fade away into nothingness. The Initiative didn't waste any time in striking.

"Back up!" shouted Hellion as the Initiative came at them.

"Pssh, whatever," replied Rockslide as he simply pushed the two hostages into the oncoming Initiative before taking a few steps back to secure his position. Komodo flipped over her two teammates and slashed at Rockslide. Rockslide simply ignored the attack and batted Komodo aside before taking a run at the Initiative.

"I took it easy on you last time," said Prodigy as he stopped Rockslide in mid-run, hooking his arms up under the arms of his much larger opponent, "I'm not going to do that again." Prodigy fell backwards while pushing his feet into Rockslide's stomach. In one easy motion, the Initiative agent flipped Santo over and sent him tumbling off the bridge and into the water below.

"Oh great," muttered Hellion as he watched what happened, "Like we weren't outnumbered enough."

"You're just lucky we got the cops to close the bridge down," said Cloud 9 as she took a shot at Hellion with her pulse rifle. Hellion threw up a telekinetic shield to block the blast and quickly grabbed the gun with his powers, effectively crushing it in a matter of seconds. A ball of energy suddenly struck Hellion, exploding on contact and sending him to the concrete. Hardball's hands glowed with energy as he fired another ball at Hellion. The New X-Men leader managed to throw up a telekinetic shield to block the attack.

"We're getting destroyed," stated Mercury as she tried to help Hellion to his feet.

"I know," replied Hellion, "That was the idea."

XXXXX

"I think I could bite my regular arm off," stated Anole, "I don't know if it'll grow back but it's the only thing I can think of."

"You're not a coyote," reminded Pixie as she continued to struggle against the clamps, "You can't just chew your arm off."

"I can't think of anything else to do," said Anole. The wind speed inside the cargo hold suddenly increased as a cloud of dust blew into the enclosure, coalescing into the shape of Sooraya Qadir.

"What's going on outside?" asked Anole.

"Julian and the others are engaged in battle," explained Dust, "I am here to rescue you." Dust reverted back to her dust form and blew towards Anole. She seeped into the entire gurney through the cracks in the metal plating. Once she was inside the shackles, Dust suddenly exploded outwards, blowing the clamps apart and freeing her teammate.

"Get Nori out next," said Anole as he got off the gurney, "They're using something in those shackles to keep her weak." Dust nodded and moved towards her roommate to perform her trick for the second time. The shackles quickly exploded and Surge fell into Anole's waiting arms. Nori was almost completely limp and barely conscious due to the lack of electrical energy in her body.

"We need to help the others," said Anole as Dust went to free Pixie, "They're outnumbered and probably in desperate need of backup." A chorus of popping noises punctuated his sentence. Pixie hopped down from the gurney and stretched out her wings as Dust reformed.

"Nori?" asked Anole as he put Surge's arm around his shoulders and tried to lift her to her feet, "Nori, can you stand up?"

"Dunno," mumbled Surge incoherently as she stood with Anole's help for a moment, "I think . . ." Her legs suddenly buckled under her and she sank to the floor again.

"Meg, you stay with Nori for a few minutes until she recharges," ordered Anole as he laid Surge down on the floor, "Sooraya, you and I are going to the bridge to help the others."

XXXXX

"If you had a master plan then now would be a good time to implement it," stated Mercury as she clashed with Komodo. Hellion didn't respond as he used a telekinetic shield to block Prodigy's punches. Unfortunately, Prodigy's strength was enough to break through Hellion's barriers and one punch managed to take Hellion to the ground.

"Here comes the plan," assured Hellion as he saw a sentient cloud of dust suddenly envelope the Initiative. Anole jumped over the Initiative and landed next to Hellion to help him back to his feet.

"You and the others hold the line," ordered Hellion as he moved towards the side of the bridge, "I'm going to go fish Santo out of the bay." Hellion knew he couldn't effectively pull Rockslide from the bay because he couldn't get a visual lock on his gigantic teammate. He created a telekinetic shield around himself before he jumped into the bay. Hellion intensified the shield in order to use its glow as a light source. It took him a few moments before he could get Rockslide in his sight but once he did, Hellion telekinetically grabbed his teammate and lifted both of them out of the water.

"Guess who's back, kids," said Rockslide in a cocky tone as he landed on the bridge and immediately took a swing at MVP, "That's right. It's smashin' time again!" MVP avoided the punch and gave Santo two extremely stiff kicks that the granite golem barely felt at all. MVP realized that he wasn't going to match strength with Rockslide. He quickly flipped over the giant and tackled Anole. Rockslide's attention was turned to his smaller teammate, leaving Prodigy the opening he needed to give Santo a sucker punch.

"Like I told Keller, it doesn't have to be this way," said MVP as he grappled with Anole.

"I know," replied Anole as he slammed both of his feet into MVP's stomach, "I just don't see another way to make this work." MVP staggered backwards but Anole didn't have time to press his advantage. A flurry of energy balls hurtled towards him courtesy of Hardball. Anole bounced and flipped to dodge the incoming projectiles, giving time for MVP to recover and assess the situation.

"Where's the new guy?" asked MVP as he saw Cloud 9 floating overhead.

"I can't see him," replied Cloud 9. She was about to say more but a tentacle of liquid metal from Mercury grabbed her and reeled her back towards the ground. MVP didn't like Serotonin. In his view, Trent was unstable at best and a psychotic monster at worst. Serotonin was a loose cannon and MVP couldn't afford working with someone like him in the field. In the end, it was going to lead to some sort of disaster.

XXXXX

Serotonin could care less about helping enforce whatever petty laws the Initiative were bent on enforcing. What Serotonin cared about was avenging the injustices the New X-Men had dealt him. The voice of God had commanded him to reap vengeance on the mutants who had humiliated him and he wouldn't let anyone stand in his way despite their stature. He would eventually pick up the scraps from the feud between the Initiative and the New X-Men. First, however, he had a very personal score to settle.

"We never finished our talk, Megan," said Serotonin as he slowly crept up the ramp of the jet and towards the cargo hold, "We were having such a lovely chat too." Pixie felt her breath start to quicken and she looked down at Surge's semi-conscious body still lying on the floor.

"Nori," whispered Pixie, "Nori, we gotta leave. It's not safe for you to charge up here."

"Gimme . . . a little more time," replied Surge as she tried to get to her feet. Pixie suddenly let out a small scream and backed away from Surge. In Megan's mind, Surge was no longer standing next to her. Instead of her friend, Pixie saw Illyana Rasputin, the demonic witch who had ripped out a piece of her soul.

"Megan?" asked Surge as she looked at her teammate quizzically, "Megan, what's . . .?"

"Stay away!" warned Pixie as she pulled out her Souldagger and backed away from Surge.

"Megan, it's Nori," assured Surge yet her vision suddenly began to warp too.

"So many more nightmares to create," said Serotonin sadistically as he backhanded Surge across the jaw, "I might keep you around but first I have to take care of personal business." Serotonin left Surge to be assaulted by her own nightmares and turned his attention to Pixie instead.

"Trent," said Pixie hoarsely as Serotonin slapped the Souldagger out of her hand, "Please stop this. Please!"

"I'm sick!" stated Serotonin as he grabbed Pixie by the throat and slammed her against the wall of the cargo hold, "You're sick! The entire world is sick with sin. The human race is a rotting corpse, festering and putrid with corruption. I will show it the error of its ways! I will let them see their nightmares. I will let them see what haunts them in the blackest depths of their souls. I will let them see their own filthiness and it will drive them to madness and death!"

"Stop," pleaded Pixie as she struggled against Serotonin's grip. Her mind and senses were too frazzled to think about the consequences of her actions. The only thing she could think to do was use the one weapon in her arsenal that, ironically enough, began this cycle of madness in the first place. Pixie put her hand in Serotonin's face and gave him a dose of her pixie dust. Serotonin staggered backwards, his eyes wide and vacant. Suddenly, something exploded and the entire world went completely and utterly to Hell.


	5. Patriot Acts

Initiation (Part Five)

By TheLostMaximoff

Disclaimer: I don't own these characters. Even though this is the last chapter, you can probably guess by the ending that there will be a sequel. It might be a month or so before I start it but it's in the works. Until then, please remember to review.

Pixie had been to Hell before. She had seen the fire and the demons and everything else that Limbo had to offer. Part of her soul was ripped out by a crazy, demonic witch and she had come as close to death as a person possibly could. Yet that experience was nowhere near as hellish as what she was currently experiencing.

"Nori!" shouted Pixie as she tried to convince herself the nightmares she was seeing were fake, "Nori, I can't see you!" Megan could barely hear the sound of her own voice. Her senses were threatening to overload from the illusions she was immersed in.

"This is what you created!" snarled Serotonin as he suddenly appeared in front of Pixie, "You started this and now I can't control it!" In Pixie's mind, he looked utterly demonic. There was fire in his eyes and a decidedly inhuman quality to his appearance.

"It's not real," whispered Pixie tearfully as she tried to fight against Serotonin's illusions, "It's not real. It's not real."

"It is," assured Serotonin cruelly, "It is real and it's going to destroy all of us."

XXXXX

"We could keep doing this all day," assured Hellion as the New X-Men and the Initiative looked at one another across the battlefield, "Nothing's going to change."

"We're not going to stop," assured MVP, "One way or another, we're taking you in." The two teams were about to attack one another once again when something suddenly descended upon them. It was as if some sort of hallucinatory fog settled over the bridge and enveloped everyone in its psychotic effects. The New X-Men and the Initiative were suddenly caught up in their own nightmarish worlds as their fears became manifest and magnified to an unholy extent. The teenage heroes were bombarded by these horrifying illusions and the air rang with their cries of agony and fear.

"Long time, no see," said the hallucinatory ghost of Brian Cruz as he smirked at Hellion, "That's the theme for your life isn't it, Julian? Everyone you care about dies or doesn't want you in their lives." Hellion wanted to believe that nothing he was seeing was true. Unfortunately, the realism level of Serotonin's illusions made it almost impossible to distinguish reality from fantasy.

"You'll always be a disappointment." Mercury heard the voices of her parents ringing in ears she didn't really have. Their constant disapproval of her mutation left her with a very large and possibility permanent inferiority complex. She would never be good enough for them. No matter how hard she tried or how many lives she saved, Cessily would never earn her parents' approval.

"You thought I was some kind of hero." Rockslide grew up idolizing the Hulk. People mistakenly thought he looked up to the Thing due to his particular mutation but Santo was always a Hulk fan. At least, he was until he actually fought the Hulk. It was then that Rockslide realized the Hulk was no hero or idol. The Hulk was a monster and if Rockslide idolized a monster then what did that say about him?

"I'm not you," stated Rockslide as he took a swing at the imaginary Hulk.

"No because I'm stronger," retorted the Hulk as he swung back, the blow having more of an effect on Rockslide than Santo's punch did on his foe. If he could see anything but his own nightmares, Santo would realize that the rest of the New X-Men and the Initiative were all battling their own private, imaginary demons and all of them were losing those battles. Someone had to do something to stop Serotonin before all of them went completely insane and ended up killing one another just to gain some peace and shelter from their nightmares.

XXXXX

Noriko Ashida felt like a failure. When her parents discovered her mutation, Nori felt ashamed for disgracing them and the family name she carried. When she used pills to try to control her abilities, Nori became completely at the mercy of her addiction. When Emma Frost named her leader of the New X-Men, Surge felt completely out of her league and it didn't help matters when her boyfriend was better qualified for the job even though he wasn't a mutant anymore. At first, Nori enjoyed defying the standards everyone else had set for her attitude, her behavior, and her appearance. It didn't help to ease the burden she felt she carried with her, a burden that was now threatening to physically crush her under its weight thanks to Serotonin and his illusions.

"It's not real!" Surge heard Pixie's voice from somewhere but it sounded so far away and she wasn't strong enough to reach it. The weight on her body was tremendous, so tremendous that she had a hard time moving at all. Surge crawled across the floor, slowly inching her way towards something she didn't even know. Her movements were slow and laborious, her muscles and bones aching fiercely from supporting the ever-present weight of societal expectations that threatened to crush her. She heard Pixie's voice again and desperately tried to move in that direction.

"I can't," whispered Surge as her aching muscles suddenly stopped, "I'm sorry . . . I can't." With her last coherent thought, Surge expelled the electricity she had stored inside her. For a moment, everything suddenly snapped back into reality. She could see Serotonin standing over Pixie while the girl huddled against the wall of the cargo hold. She strained and slowly clawed her way towards them. She had foolishly expelled all the electricity she had stored up. Now, Surge was running only on reserve power. Even if she made it to Pixie, Nori couldn't do much of anything to help the girl except perhaps take the brunt of some sort of attack.

"You're a tenacious one," assured Serotonin as he felt something grab his ankle and looked down at Surge trying desperately to mount some kind of offense, "I think I could grow to like that."

"Let . . . her . . . go," gasped Surge as she blindly groped for something to help pull her to her feet. She wasn't even sure if she would be able to stand on her own power if she could get to her feet. Nevertheless, Surge knew she had to do something to stop Serotonin from what he was doing.

"Not an option," stated Serotonin as he kicked Surge away, "I see that I can't rely on you to simply wait your turn. I'll have to take care of you immediately." Pixie had felt the shock that Surge had expelled from her body. The jolt was enough to get her back into the real world and out of the illusionary world Serotonin had created. At this point, Pixie's vision was flickering. It was as if the image was like a bad television picture. It kept flickering from real to illusion and back again.

"So much inadequacy," said Serotonin as he skimmed through Surge's mind, "It's delicious." Surge felt as if her skull was going to explode. The pressure on her body was immense and it only seemed to increase as Serotonin slowly stalked towards her. Pixie knew she had to do something and she had to do it now. She knew of only one guaranteed way to slow Serotonin down. Pixie quickly crawled forward and delivered an uppercut that struck Serotonin in the groin. Pixie watched her enemy's knees buckle as he crumpled to the floor. She could see her Souldagger lying on the floor of the cargo hold. If she could get to it then she could at least defend herself against Serotonin and possibly defend Surge as well.

"I'll kill you for that!" snarled Serotonin as Pixie darted across the floor and managed to get a few fingers around the hilt of her dagger. Serotonin grabbed Pixie by the ankle and yanked her towards him.

"Not if I kill you first," retorted Pixie as she turned and drove her Souldagger into Serotonin's hand. The mutant illusionist let out a howl of pain and relinquished his grip on Pixie's ankle. Serotonin clutched his hand and grimaced in pain. His stare shot daggers at Pixie as the girl quickly scrambled to her feet and held her Souldagger out in front of her, ready to strike again if necessary.

"You're going to have to try harder than that," assured Serotonin, "I don't even have to touch you to attack you."

"I never said I'd give you the chance," reminded Pixie as she suddenly flew towards Serotonin and tackled him to the floor, "The second you try to do anything to me, I'm going to stab you."

"Promises, promises," retorted Serotonin as he grappled with Pixie, trying to keep her Souldagger away from his body. He finally managed to kick Pixie off and regain his footing. Serotonin's eyes began to cloud and, once again, Pixie felt her world turn upside down. Her vision suddenly exploded into a kaleidoscope of colors. She blindly staggered backwards and shut her eyes to block out the psychedelic colors that threatened to blind her. Unfortunately, closing her eyes left Pixie vulnerable to a physical attack from her opponent. Serotonin took such an advantage and hit Pixie in the jaw. The blow sent Pixie to the floor, her vision still blinded by Serotonin's illusions.

"We can help you," assured Pixie.

"You will," stated Serotonin cruelly, "Killing you will make me feel much better."

XXXXX

Michael Van Patrick knew exactly what was going on. The visions of KIA danced behind his eyes but they were no longer as potent as they once were. MVP could see clearly enough to understand what was going on. Serotonin was conspicuously absent from the battlefield and MVP knew exactly where he would be.

"Where did you park the jet?" asked MVP as he turned to Cloud 9. Abby regarded him with a strange, vacant look in her eyes as if her brain was having difficulty processing his question.

"The jet," mumbled Cloud 9 as she tried to fight off the lingering trauma of Serotonin's illusions, "On the roof." MVP looked around and quickly spotted the jet. He turned and saw that the New X-Men were still wrestling with their personal demons. This presented an interesting dilemma. MVP could get up to the jet and stop Serotonin, thereby ending everyone's nightmares. However, Serotonin's indirect attack was doing his teammates a favor by incapacitating the New X-Men. MVP found himself in a catch twenty-two situation and he took a moment to consider what decision he should make.

"Start trying to contain them," ordered MVP as he turned his attention back to Cloud 9 and the rest of his beleaguered team, "I'm going to stop Trent from causing any more chaos." Cloud 9 nodded and began to rally the rest of the team while MVP sprinted towards the building with the jet on its roof.

"Take them!" ordered Cloud 9. Hardball was the first to follow the order as he launched an energy ball at the New X-Men. Hellion created a very large telekinetic wall that stopped anything and everything from ever touching him or the rest of his team.

"We're missing someone," said Prodigy as he looked to Cloud 9, "Where's the new girl?" Cloud 9 looked around and couldn't find Loa anywhere.

"That's a problem we don't have time to deal with," retorted Cloud 9.

XXXXX

Since coming to Xavier's, Megan Gwynn had experienced many moments where she knew with absolute certainty that she was going to die. This moment with a lunatic towering over her ready to deliver a killing stroke was one of them. Pixie always thought she would live longer than this. She still had so many things left to accomplish. She wanted to get married, perhaps have children some day in the future. She still held out hope that some day she might even get to kiss Cyclops. Just one kiss would be enough to make her happy for the rest of her life.

"It's over, Megan," assured Serotonin as his hands reached for her throat, "It's time for you to go." Pixie's vision cleared just enough to see Serotonin's face hover over her. She could never be sure of what she saw due to Serotonin's abilities but Pixie suddenly saw a hand shoot out of Serotonin's chest. Serotonin's eyes went wide with shock and his grip suddenly slackened as the hand continued in the same direction until an entire arm could be seen.

"What?" asked Pixie as she realized there was no blood coming out of Serotonin's chest. The arm suddenly retracted and Serotonin slumped to the floor, his body spastically twitching and convulsing due to the shock of Loa phasing her arm through his chest.

"I should've just killed him," admitted Loa as she looked at her best friend, "Go, Megan. Take the others and go."

"What are you talking . . .?" began Pixie.

"Run!" ordered Loa, "I won't be able to hold the others off." Pixie suddenly remembered how to work her legs. She looked to see Surge starting to stand up, her legs woozy but ultimately fully functional.

"Thank you," said Pixie as she quickly flew out of the jet while Surge took off, her sprint enhanced to superhuman levels thanks to the electrical energy in her body. Loa simply stood there as MVP finally entered the cargo bay. The leader of the Initiative recruits looked to Serotonin's unconscious body on the floor and then to Loa.

"You let them get away," stated MVP as he looked at his teammate, "I could take you in as an accessory to a federal crime."

"You don't have any proof," reminded Loa, "This thing doesn't have any juice left in it. Any video recording equipment that might be in here wouldn't have been on to catch what happened. It's my word against yours."

XXXXX

"Why the hell are we running away?" asked Rockslide as the New X-Men hid in an alley close to their apartment complex, "We can take those clowns."

"Not after what happened on the bridge," said Hellion, "We need to get the hell out of town before those Initiative guys recover from what happened. Cess, Sooraya, and Vic are in there getting us some stuff. Once they're down, we're leaving town."

"We can't just leave our lives here behind," said Surge.

"We have to," stated Hellion, "It's not safe here anymore. All of us know that. Our best chance is to take it on the run."

"I have to agree with Julian," admitted Pixie, "Alani stuck her neck out to save me and Nori. We have to make the most of it we can and the way we do that is by dodging the crap out of the Initiative."

"Not interested in getting registered?" asked Rockslide with a smirk.

"God no," assured Pixie as her eyes flicked to the building, "I think I'd rather go back to Limbo than do that."

XXXXX

"How much should we get?" asked Dust as she looked at Mercury.

"Whatever you can stuff in a travel bag," replied Mercury as she grabbed her bag and began stuffing clothes into it, "You get Nori's bag and I'll get Megan's." Dust nodded and began rummaging through Surge's closet.

"I really don't like this," admitted Mercury as she continued filling bags, "We shouldn't be running away like this."

"It is no longer safe here," reminded Dust. Both girls suddenly looked at the door as someone opened it. They breathed a sigh of relief as they realized it was just Anole.

"I'm taking off," stated Anole, "You two need to follow me as soon as you can. We don't need to carry everything."

"We'll be behind you soon," assured Mercury as she opened up a hole in her body and stuffed her bags in it, "Sooraya, give me your bags and I'll carry them." Dust nodded and handed her bags to Mercury. Cessily promptly stuffed the bags in the open hole before closing it up again. She knew she would expel the bags later when she reunited with the rest of the team.

"Are you ready?" asked Dust.

"Ready," stated Mercury. Dust quickly turned into her dust form and snaked through the air vents. Mercury turned into a blob of liquid metal and crept under the door and down the hallway. She quickly trickled down the steps and then slipped through the crack in the front door of the building before crossing the street. Once she was safely in the midst of her teammates, Mercury reformed into her more human form and then expelled the bags she had collected.

"Little gross there," said Rockslide.

"Whatever gets the job done," reminded Mercury.

"Let's go," ordered Hellion, "We've spent too much time here already."

"Where exactly do you plan on going?" asked Mercury.

"How far can you jump us?" asked Hellion as he looked at Pixie.

"Maybe a couple of states," replied Pixie, "I dunno how far I can go and still keep all of us together."

"Give it a try and see what happens," encouraged Hellion.

XXXXX

Serotonin opened his eyes and looked at his surroundings. He flexed his arms and found out that he was strapped to a gurney. Serotonin strained against his clamps and let out a growl more akin to something a cornered animal would utter.

"You proved to be a very huge disappointment," stated Henry Gyrich as he looked at Serotonin and adjusted his glasses, "I had to alter some paperwork just to get you approved for field missions. This is how you repay me?"

"What did you do to me?" asked Serotonin, "I can't hear Him!"

"Yes, the voices in your head," said Gyrich, "We have this wonderful thing called SPIN tech that you've been inoculated with. You don't have your powers anymore."

"Give it back!" snarled Serotonin as he struggled to break free, "Give it back to me or I'll . . ."

"You'll do nothing," finished Gyrich, "You'll get your powers back when you learn to follow certain rules. Until then, I would get used to your current state because you'll be in it for a very long time." With that, Gyrich calmly exited the room, letting the heavy, metal doors close behind him while Serotonin screamed with rage.

"You altered my report," stated Danielle Moonstar as she looked at Gyrich, "I can't say I'm surprised by that."

"You received your money," reminded Gyrich, "You're free to leave whenever you want."

"I'm taking Alani and Josh out of this place," stated Dani.

"Miss Ryan needs to have a little conference with me," replied Gyrich, "Although we have no hard evidence, we believe she intentionally helped her former friends escape."

"She probably saved them from him," said Dani as she gestured to the door and the mentally unstable mutant behind it, "None of this would've ever happened if you hadn't have moved him into combat situations before he was ready."

"Since you seem to be so intent on undercutting my authority, I have a job for you," said Gyrich, "You want Alani Ryan and Josh Foley out of our program? Find me a way to get me those teenage X-Men and then we'll talk."

"How do you expect me to do that?" asked Dani.

"Figure it out," retorted Gyrich as he walked past her, "Until you do, you won't be taking Alani and Josh anywhere."


End file.
